Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on April 4, 2011 at 3:27pm

Just my humble opinion but I'm not sure a band saw would be a great choice considering your relative lack of experience with woodworking.

Band saws are awesome tools, but they can take off a couple of fingers before you realize what has happened. If you want a power saw, I would suggest a jig saw. That would give you several advantages; 1,fairly easy to learn how to use one, 2; not very expensive 3; portable 4;cuts straight or intricate curves 5; easy to change blades and they are not expensive 6; variable speed models (which I suggest getting) allow great control when cutting very soft,thin wood like a cigar box. 7; you can still cut your finger off but you would have to work harder at it. 

Add a mitre box and back saw and you would be able to do most of the work needed for a CBG for a very modest investment and a much higher degree of safety.

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on April 4, 2011 at 3:30pm

Keep in mind that JUJU is an experienced cabinet maker and has many years of woodworking under his belt.

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Permalink Reply by Crimson Toad on April 4, 2011 at 3:45pm

If you look close, he is calling a scroll saw a bandsaw...so, a little confusion to clear up for him...two differant tools...and yes a jigsaw will be less expensive...and all the other good stuff you said...A scrollsaw will be a little to specialized to start with...

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Permalink Reply by carlos contreras on April 4, 2011 at 3:53pm

Thank you Cameron I have now edited my post.

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Permalink Reply by carlos contreras on April 4, 2011 at 3:58pm

Thanks Bluesheart, I guess my initial thought of buying a jigsaw was right, it's just that I was disuaded by another post where some people called jigsaws inacurate. And now that Cameron has pointed out that what I'm looking at are scroll saws, should i go with the jig saw or the scroll saw? Am i right to assume that the scroll saw is like a fixed jig saw?

 

Bluesheart said:

Just my humble opinion but I'm not sure a band saw would be a great choice considering your relative lack of experience with woodworking.

Band saws are awesome tools, but they can take off a couple of fingers before you realize what has happened. If you want a power saw, I would suggest a jig saw. That would give you several advantages; 1,fairly easy to learn how to use one, 2; not very expensive 3; portable 4;cuts straight or intricate curves 5; easy to change blades and they are not expensive 6; variable speed models (which I suggest getting) allow great control when cutting very soft,thin wood like a cigar box. 7; you can still cut your finger off but you would have to work harder at it. 

Add a mitre box and back saw and you would be able to do most of the work needed for a CBG for a very modest investment and a much higher degree of safety.

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Permalink Reply by Crimson Toad on April 4, 2011 at 4:14pm

yes, Carlos, but less agressive...and of coarse upside down, so you have more control...you can see your work

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Permalink Reply by carlos contreras on April 4, 2011 at 4:21pm

Ok, I'm still not sure which way to go then. I suppose the scrollsaw would be more stable simply because it's not handheld, but i guess that also means the jigsaw would be easier to handle around curves. Right now I'm looking at the jigsaws they have at home depot (variable speed ones as per bluesheart's suggestion) and prices vary greatly, do i really need a laser guide and all that stuff? If it will give me more precision I'm willing to spend a bit more. In my experience its better to spend some more initially and be satisfied for a couple years than having to replace something later on. Or should I just get the scroll saw?

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Permalink Reply by Crimson Toad on April 4, 2011 at 4:57pm

No you don't need the laser at all, variable speed is best, you'll be able to make more small artsy items like your saddle, nut, any trim pieces that require more precision with the scroll saw, where you will use the jigsaw for more basic cuts before using hand tools to shape your neck, or for fast cutting, but not as fine cutting...so....you'll probably use your scrollsaw for more things, but you won't do any of them very fast...personally and this is just me, but i have two bandsaws a 14" delta with a 6" addition for height which i use for straight fast cutting, and a chinese 14" bandsaw with a thin blade for scroll type work, very smooth...the delta i can feed 15" tall logs thru to make my own lumber, as well as make my own thin veneers...love them both, but a bit more money, and very versatile...now that your really confused...i guess i'd choose the scrollsaw with a good knowledge of what blades do what job for you...Hope this helps you...i also have two older delta scrollsaws that i use too...

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Permalink Reply by Crimson Toad on April 4, 2011 at 5:04pm

TOOLS TOOLS TOOLS...GOTTA LOVE EM!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by carlos contreras on April 4, 2011 at 5:17pm

Thanks Cameron, you've been very helpful. I think I'll definitely go with the used 16 inch Delta scroll saw then. I dont mind it being slower and once I get a couple cbgs under my belt and feel more confident that I wont be loosing a finger I'll invest on the bandsaw.

Cameron Bleuer said:

No you don't need the laser at all, variable speed is best, you'll be able to make more small artsy items like your saddle, nut, any trim pieces that require more precision with the scroll saw, where you will use the jigsaw for more basic cuts before using hand tools to shape your neck, or for fast cutting, but not as fine Hope this helpscutting...so....you'll probably use your scrollsaw for more things, but you won't do any of them very fast...personally and this is just me, but i have two bandsaws a 14" delta with a 6" addition for height which i use for straight fast cutting, and a chinese 14" bandsaw with a thin blade for scroll type work, very smooth...the delta i can feed 15" tall logs thru to make my own lumber, as well as make my own thin veneers...love them both, but a bit more money, and very versatile...now that your really confused...i guess i'd choose the scrollsaw with a good knowledge of what blades do what job for you...

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Permalink Reply by Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) on April 4, 2011 at 6:48pm

Okay, a scroll saw is called a scroll saw because it's intended for just that: executing scroll cuts in smaller pieces of wood.  It is considered more of a hobbyist's or craft saw.  It's really good for doing intricate cuts in thinner pieces of wood like f-holes, patterns with tight turns, etc, etc.  I wouldn't want to cut anything on a scroll saw that was thicker than 1/2" thick and even then, I'd be feeding it real slow.  All work that I do on my scroll saw is limited to stock 1/4" thick or less.

 

A band saw is a shop work horse.  You can put a scroll blade on it (very small, very sharp radius cuts) but you can also put huge blades on as well that will rip the hell out of wood.  Blades like this are really only good for cutting straight, and I believe it is this that Juju was referring to for cutting veneer (it's great for this kind of cut and, if you have a really big band saw - like saw mill size - you can resaw large billets and create book matched facings).  You can also put metal cutting blades on a band saw and work with metal stock.

 

So if you want to cut intricate patterns in thin pieces of wood, get a scroll saw.  If you want a powerful saw that can be quickly adapted to do a large array of tasks by changing out the blade, go bandsaw.  Try to get one with the greatest cutting height and deepest throat that you can afford (the greater these two parameters, the more money you will spend).

 

Also, any tool I ever bought that included a laser guide - the guide crapped out after a few weeks worth of use.  It's just some extra ten cent frippery that they're adding to the tool but in the end not worth a whole hell of a lot.

 

That's it, I'm done.  Choose well, Grasshopper.

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Permalink Reply by Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) on April 4, 2011 at 6:52pm

If you'll indulge me, I cut the body for this guitar using a band saw with a scroll blade.  Very thin, very tiny blade but chewed through a thick one piece slab of African Mahogany like it was nothing.

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